What can someone do with your Social Security number if you have bad credit?
With your full or even partial SSN and other personal information easily found online, scammers can commit credit card fraud, open new accounts, and receive medical care in your name — as well as siphon away your Social Security benefits.
A dishonest person who has your Social Security number can use it to get other personal information about you. Identity thieves can use your number and your good credit to apply for more credit in your name. Then, when they use the credit cards and don't pay the bills, it damages your credit.
If someone uses your SSN to obtain credit, loans, telephone accounts, or other goods and services, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC collects complaints about identity theft from those whose identities have been stolen.
If you accidentally gave your Social Security number to a scammer, you can take the following steps: Contact the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and freeze your credit. Set up credit monitoring. Your bank or the company that was breached may provide this for free.
A security freeze can help prevent identity theft, because businesses will not open credit accounts without first checking a consumer's credit history. If your credit files are frozen, even someone who has your name and Social Security number probably will not be able to obtain credit in your name.
- Bills for items you did not buy.
- Debt collection calls for accounts you did not open.
- Information on your credit report for accounts you did not open.
- Denials of loan applications.
- Mail stops coming to, or is missing from, your mailbox.
Finally, you can turn on the SSN Self Lock online via the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) “myE-Verify” website. While there's no one way to freeze your SSN, it's easy to see why you could confuse the three available options.
These identity thieves are crafty, often acquiring your personal details through data breaches, stolen mail, phishing scams, or even purchasing your information on the dark web. Once they have the required information, such as your social security number and bank account numbers, they apply for a loan in your name.
To change your Social Security number, you'll need to: Contact your local Social Security office. Schedule an in-person appointment to apply for a new number. Gather all the necessary documents, which must be original or certified copies.
There is no charge for correcting your Social Security card or getting one for the first time.
What to do if you accidentally give a scammer your personal details?
Cyber criminals may contact you via email, text, phone call or via social media. They will often pretend to be someone (or an organisation) you trust. If you've been tricked into sharing personal information with a scammer, you can take immediate steps to protect yourself. Contact your bank and let them know.
- You're alerted to a credit card charge you didn't make. ...
- Your loan or credit card application was denied. ...
- There's a change to your credit score. ...
- There's a new account you didn't open under your name. ...
- Your information was part of a data breach.
Don't ever give out your Social Security number or any other personal information to someone you don't know who initiates contact with you by phone, e-mail or in person: For example, if you receive an e-mail that claims that you must provide personal information to claim a refund from the IRS, it's a scam.
Placing a freeze on your credit means that no one can access your information to fraudulently open a new account in your name.
If you believe that your identity has been stolen, contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax or Trans Union. They will ask you for identifying information in order to create the fraud alert.
While a security freeze can help protect you by preventing certain access to your credit reports if someone attempts to open a new credit account in your name, it can't help protect you against other forms of fraud, such as a stolen credit card number.
Check your credit reports and bank statements
If fraudsters are using your stolen SSN, it will most likely show up on your credit reports and bank or credit card statements. If your SSN has been leaked, you'll want to keep a close eye on your financial accounts.
Check your credit reports
Pulling your credit report and credit score is the most accurate and convenient way to find all of the accounts that have been reported in your name. Your credit report will display every open account in your name, from bank accounts to credit cards and more.
Unless you see a transaction on your bank statement you don't recognize, you might not realize someone has opened a fraudulent bank account in your name. But it happens more often than you might think.
- Never list an SSN when posting a paper record on a public bulletin board.
- Never send SSNs via an electronic format.
- Never have a computer log-in system where a person has to use their SSN.
- Never use SSNs on ID cards.
- Never send SSNs on postcards.
- Never store SSNs on unprotected computer systems.
How can I lock my credit report for free?
Place or lift a credit freeze
Freeze or lift the freeze on your credit report for free by contacting each of the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax. Experian. TransUnion.
Don't take the bait. Your Social Security number can't be deactivated or suspended. If there really is a problem related to your Social Security number, you will get a letter.
You can do this by contacting the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or their teletypewriter number at 1-800-325-0778. Getting a new Social Security number is challenging but possible. You must have a valid reason for the change and provide documentation to prove it.
If you are unable to use our online services, you will need to complete a paper Application for a Social Security Card (Form SS-5) and show us the required documents. To get an SSN card with a corrected name, you will need to provide evidence of your identity, your new legal name, and name change event.
Nothing and it's worthless when your older. It's only when you have worked and paid into your social security account is any money involved and the card itself has no value ever.
